When People Sinkhole

​Why is it that when people realize they’re in a rut, they so often wallow until that minor rut caves into a gaping sinkhole of despair?

​I suspect this paralysis stems from a coddled upbringing. When "more qualified" adults solve every adolescent problem, they stunt the development of natural problem-solving skills. I see it constantly among the unhoused fellas here at DRM 48th Ave—men griping about situations that seem easily fixable.

​It comes down to Newton’s first law: an object in motion stays in motion. Completing one small task feels good, creating momentum for the next. You finally walk down to St. Francis to grab the mail you’ve neglected for three weeks, and suddenly the momentum shifts. But without that initial push, people default to seeking cheap dopamine fixes instead of changing their focal point. Too many of us here have become pacified by the bare necessities.

​Do we really want help? Some do, more than others. Yet, the system put in place by the Coalition for the Homeless seems to offer less support the more energy you actually bring to getting your life together. It feels designed to keep us down and our hopes low. After all, the 1% needs someone to serve them dinner, and they need a visible underclass to instill the fear of "irresponsibility" in their own children.

​The irony is that most working-class citizens are just one sick day away from a short paycheck and an eviction notice. Basic hygiene and health aren't matters of personal responsibility; they are clerical necessities to stop the spread of illness in the workplace. But as long as the system pacifies us, the cycle continues.